The present description is directed to providing a surface modifying apparatus and method for modifying surfaces. More particularly, the present description is directed to providing a surface modifying apparatus, such as a hand powered sander, with an illumination system for facilitating generally contemporaneous visual inspection and removal of defects in a surface being modified as well as method thereof.
Surface modifying devices, such as hand held powered and non-powered tools have been used for working or modifying a wide variety of surfaces. For example, when fabricating a structure, such as a wall or ceiling it is sometimes necessary to utilize a sanding device to smooth the surface of the structure. For example, interior walls of office building and houses typically use drywall panels. The drywall panels may be attached to wood or metal frames to form interior walls and ceilings. Joints or seams are created along areas where the different dry wall panels are juxtaposed to each other. Typically, the seams are covered with a compound and smoothed. This is to give the appearance that the seams do not exist and provide a wall that is otherwise smooth and flat.
Treating compounds are applied wet to the drywall to fill in the seams and any gaps between the drywall panels. Once dry, the compounds are typically sanded smooth. One kind of hand powered sanding tool generally comprises a sanding sheet wrapped and secured to a sanding block. Another known type of hand held tool assembly for sanding includes a pole sanding tool that comprises a generally rectangular sanding attachment head attached to a handle or pole through a pivoting structure. Pole sander attachment heads have a fixed size and a sponge for supporting sanding paper. An elongate sheet of sanding paper for treating the surface is attached to the fixed sized attachment head. In use, a worker typically pulls the pole for driving the attachment head carrying the sanding paper. As such, the angle between the pole axis and the fixed head attachment varies as the elevation of the attachment head relative to the worker varies. Still other surface modifying apparatus, such as rotary sanders, do not have an effective way to allow users to observe defects around the area being worked and appropriately treat them in an expeditious and time manner.
Sanding steps typically are repeated several times with different sanding grades until seams and gaps appear unnoticeable. The requirements for a smooth and flat finish are quite demanding. Even minor blemishes or defects are usually found to be unacceptable and must, therefore, be removed. Inspection for such blemishes or defects generally follows a worker using a separate source of light, for example a 500 watt halogen light to inspect the working surface after ceasing a sanding operation. Such strong illumination is desired since they are able to have the blemishes and defects cast shadows that are more easily visually discernable. Thereafter, the blemishes or defects are noted and marked and the worker resumes sanding at the marked blemish sites. As such, separation of the sanding and inspection utilizing separate tools tends to add to user operating costs, fatigue of the worker, increased time and higher labor costs.
Accordingly, the foregoing sanding and inspection processes are relatively costly, labor intensive, and time consuming. As a consequence, there is an interest in making the sanding and inspecting operations more efficient from a labor and time standpoint, less costly, and less fatiguing in practice.